Ohio Orders 10 Prediction Markets to Stop Sports Event Contracts
The Ohio Casino Control Commission sent cease-and-desist letters on October 2 to 10 prediction-market operators and brokers offering sports event contracts in the state, giving each company until October 16 to confirm in writing that it has stopped serving Ohio customers. The letters went to Coinbase, Gemini Titan, Moomoo Financial, Novig, Plus500US, Polymarket, Prophet X, Robinhood Derivatives, Underdog Predict, and Webull Financial, according to Legal Sports Report. Notably absent from the list was Kalshi, which has its own separate, ongoing legal fight with the commission.
A Sixth Circuit ruling cleared the way
The action follows a September 25 ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, which found that Ohio can enforce its state gambling laws against sports event contracts and rejected arguments that federal commodities law preempts that enforcement. That ruling, which also went against Kalshi in a related case, gave the OCCC the legal footing to move on this broader group of platforms. The commission's letters state the companies are "offering unlicensed sports gaming and bookmaking or facilitating bookmaking in Ohio" and warn that continuing to do so could trigger civil, administrative, or criminal consequences, including felony exposure under state law and civil penalties tied to the money collected from Ohio customers.
Robinhood singled out for a second notice
Robinhood's letter wasn't a first warning — the OCCC said it was reasserting a cease-and-desist first sent to the company in March 2025, pointing to Robinhood's own website describing how it offers sports event contracts through third-party exchanges. OCCC Interim Executive Director Andromeda Morrison said in a statement that "because these wagers lack the protections Ohio law requires, particularly for young and vulnerable people, the Commission must take action to fulfill its statutory responsibilities, protect consumers, and maintain fairness and integrity in sports gaming across Ohio."
Why it matters for bettors
Ohio joins a growing list of states pushing back on prediction markets' sports contracts following a string of mixed court rulings nationwide, and this 10-company sweep is one of the largest single enforcement actions in that fight so far. For bettors in Ohio who have used these platforms to trade sports-outcome contracts, the letters signal that access could be cut off on short notice as the companies decide how to respond to the October 16 deadline. For background on the underlying legal dispute, see our earlier coverage of Kalshi's Sixth Circuit loss in Ohio and Tennessee.